Sodding Rulers
by mamaduck
Summary: A companion piece to Potions and Kittens for those who wondered about the "sodding rulers" comment. Contains spanking.


1Fic : Sodding Rulers

A/N This fic is also in the world of On Fire. In response to the wonderful reviews and encouragement for Potions and Kittens, here is the McGonagall/Potter/Weasley interlude. Hope you enjoy. Second Year, at the time of the polyjuice incident.

The door to the Gryffindor common room opened and two heads immediately swivelled to look and then turned away with visible sighs of relief. Ever since their return from the Infirmary, Harry and Ron had been on pins and needles, expecting Professor McGonagall to summon them any moment. That had been two hours ago. As the afternoon wore on, the boys anxiety level increased until they were bundles of nerves.

'I am obligated to inform your Head of House' Madam Pomfrey had informed them after settling Hermione into a bed, tsking over the cat ears and fur.

'This is a very serious matter' the mediwitch scolded them when she saw the boys grinning at Hermione's twitching tail.

_Can we help it if it's funny!? _Harry thought to himself as they immediately schooled their features into serious expressions.

It wasn't until they had ensconced themselves in the common room and regaled Fred and George with their "tale of the tail" that they began to think about the consequences of having McGonagall aware of what they had done.

'Blimey, I'd like to see that!' Fred had exclaimed, his grin wide and his blue eyes sparkling.

'Yeah, but I'll be glad not to be you when McGonagall goes on the warpath!' George added,'Polyjuice is serious stuff-

' and Hermione is her favourite student!' Fred finished.

'But, hey!'- George laughed

'She and old McGonagall can go mousing together!' Fred was nearly rolling on the floor at his own joke.

'Stop!' George was holding his middle,'Anymore laughing and I'll be CATatonic!' Both red heads were convulsing with mirth.

Harry and Ron, on the other hand, had gone still. Fred and George were right. McGonagall was going to be livid. What if Hermione did end up staying as a cat?

They had spent the next two hours worrying about the reaction of their Head of House.

George bounced by the sofa where Ron and Harry were sitting.

'Are you two blokes coming down for supper? Or are you too scared to look up at the staff table?'

'Poor ickle Harry-boy and Ronniekins!' Fred bounded over the edge of the sofa and knelt with his hands clasped angelically in front of him.

'Are you wowwied about our big bad head of house assigning you a tewwible detention?'

'Gerroff!' Ron kicked his foot out at Fred,

'We're just worried about Hermione! We, unlike you, have a conscience when it comes to our friends!'

'Oh, George,' Fred pretended to keel over, 'I'm wounded by the sharp retort!' He leaped to his feet. 'Suit yourself then. We're off to fill up.'

As they watched the other boys leave, Ron turned to Harry.

'I could eat. You?'

'Yeah, let's go.' Harry pulled himself up from the soft cushions. Together they headed out the portrait hole after the others.

The summons from Professor McGonagall came via a seventh year girl, just as Harry had spooned up the last bite of his pudding. He unfolded the note and read it aloud to Ron, who was busily tucking into his second piece of treacle tart.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley

Report to my office at 7 o'clock PM.

Do not be late.

Prof. M. McGonagall"

Ron paused, his mouth open, his fork suspended above his pie.

'I suppose she'd be upset if we didn't show up.?'

Harry rolled his eyes.'A bit, I expect.' He pushed his empty plate to the side.

'I shouldn't have eaten so much.'

At precisely one minute to seven, the boys stood in the corridor outside McGonagall's office.

Since leaving the Great Hall, then biding the time in their common room, they had been imagining punishments that their Head of House might dish up.

Large numbers of lost House points were expected. Long, tedious detentions, possibly with Filch, were suspected. Harry sighed and looked at Ron. Taking a deep breath, Ron raised his hand and knocked on the door.

'Enter,' Professor McGonagall's sharp voice rang out.

Pushing the door open, Ron stepped into the office; Harry at his heels.

As he looked around, Harry was reminded of his other visit to this room, the night of the dragon smuggling. The room was warm and cosy, a bright fire burning in the hearth and several interesting little knick-knacks placed here and there, just the same as last time.

But, if possible, this time, their professor looked even more intimidating.

Standing behind her desk, Professor McGonagall's frown was so intense her lips had almost disappeared.

'Sit down.'

Sliding into the two chairs in front of the polished desk, the boys swallowed nervously.

'You will explain to me, in detail, why you two, along with Miss Granger, would attempt something so foolhardy as brewing a restricted potion.

'This explanation had better be convincing enough that I will feel obligated to overlook the fact that said potion was made with items STOLEN from Professor Snape's private stock.'

Professor McGonagall's fingers were white where she clutched the desk in front of her. Her dark eyes were piercing in her wrinkled face.

Harry found that there was nothing he could say that would be a good reason for what they had done. He dropped his gaze to the floor.

'We..ah...we had no good reason Professor.' Ron's voice echoed Harry's thoughts.

'It was wrong and we never thought that Hermione would get turned into a cat, and we're really very sorry.' His voice squeaking, Ron also couldn't look his professor in the eye.

'Mr Potter? Have you anything to add?'

Harry shook his head and stared resolutely at the floral rug under his feet.

'You had no good reason and you're very sorry.' McGonagall's voice was cold.

'Your classmate lies in the infirmary with a deformity that may well be permanent.

'The fact that the two of you managed to survive your polyjuice transformations unscathed is no small miracle in itself. Assuming the identity of another person, no matter how temporary, is illegal in the wizarding world. You know that, Mr.Weasley.

'Polyjuice potion is not taught until fifth year, in a controlled environment and very closely supervised by a qualified potions master.

'I cannot fathom why you would attempt such a thing. Or why it was so important to you that you would risk stealing from a professor.

'My disappointment with your behaviour is beyond comprehension.

'200 points will be removed from Gryffindor House. As it pains me immensely to take those points, I have decided that you will share my pain, albeit in a more physical way.'

Harry and Ron looked at each other, their apprehension rising.

'Both of you will approach the desk and drop your trousers. You will place your hands flat upon the surface of the desk and bend forward. Neither of you will move from this position until I give you leave.'

Oh no! Where was the detention with Filch? Where was the ususal McGonagall? Stern, unyielding, but not prone to using corporal punishment! Gulping, the boys stood and stepped forward.

'But, Professor,' Ron began.

'No talking Mr Weasley. Unless you would like your punishment increased?'

'No ma'am.' Ron hastily shut his mouth and fumbled with the fastening of his trousers. Was she going to cane them? The thought was paralyzing.

Harry had already lowered his trousers and was leaning over the desk. His thin underpants weren't going to offer much protection, he thought, but at least McGonagall wouldn't be seeing his bare bottom.

Once both boys had assumed the position as directed, Professor McGonagall selected a quill from the selection on her desk and tapped it with her wand. Immediately it grew into a ruler. Twenty-four inches long and two inches wide, it caused the boys eyes to widen.

Moving around her desk until she was behind her two students, Minerva surveyed the two bottoms presented to her.

Experimentally, she gave the ruler a couple of flicks in the air. It was thin and thwippy and she noted with satisfaction that both boys shifted and tensed.

'Thwack!' Ron jumped as the ruler connected with his backside and felt slightly amazed at the amount of strength behind the blazing smack. He flinched as he heard the ruler strike Harry's upturned bottom.

Harry's gasp was echoing in Ron's ears when the ruler targeted him a second time.

'Aah.' Harry listened to Ron's soft exclamation as he waited for the second blow from the ruler. McGonagall was stronger than he expected for such an elderly witch.

'Whack!' Harry clenched his teeth against the blossoming pain.

'Thwack!' Ron screwed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the burning sensation in the stripes across his behind as Professor McGonagall alternated bottoms with the ruler and systematically worked her way down the two wiggling backsides.

'Smack!' Harry shifted on his toes.

'Crack!' Ron pressed his hands against the smooth surface of the desk.

'Whack!' Harry's legs trembled and he felt pressure building behind his eyes.

'Thwack!' Ron yelped as the ruler targeted the lower curve of his bottom.

'Crack!' Harry felt the first tear fall from his eye and pool onto the lens of his glasses. He took a ragged breath.

'Whack! Smack! Crack! Thwack! Crack! Whack! Smack! Smack!'

Both boys were whimpering now, their foreheads touching the desk, their feet shifting under the onslaught of the ruler against their backsides.

'Thwack! Smack!' 'Aaaah!' Ron cried out as the ruler smacked the tops of both thighs in succession, leaving a burning stripe across each one.

'Crack! Whack!' An audible sob escaped Harry's clamped lips as pain flared across the tops of both thighs. He pressed his head to the desk and prayed for the punishment to be finished.

Professor McGonagall stood back and took stock of the boys before her. Their shoulders shook with unsuppressed sobs.

It had been a long time since she had felt the need to transfigure a ruler and apply it to a deserving bottom. She hoped it would be a long time before she felt the need to do it again.

'You may stand.'

The witch made her way around to the front of her desk as the boys pushed themselves up. Scrubbing at their faces with their sleeves and trying simultaneously to pull up their trousers, both boys avoided her eye.

The burning pain in his bottom was unbelievable. Harry grimaced as the fabric of his trousers rubbed against his pants on the way up. This was worse than a spanking from Snape. New respect rose in his chest for his Head of House. She certainly knew how to wield a ruler!

Ron took measured breaths as he tried to collect himself. Professor McGonagall might not spank her students often, but when she did, she made it count!

'I should hope,' Professor McGonagall's voice softened,

'That this punishment will help you to remember to stop and think before you enter into another foolish escapade.'

Both boys nodded fervently.

'Keep in mind that I will not hesitate to discipline you in this manner in the future.'

Harry and Ron jerked their eyes up to meet the stern gaze of their Professor. Had she been spending too much time with Snape?

'You are dismissed.'

Ron made it to the door ahead of Harry. Both boys exited without looking back, holding themselves rigidly, their gait stiff.

Minerva watched them go, her lips curved into a wry grin. She could well imaging the glint in Severus' eyes when she told him she had finally given in and resorted to using her ruler on the backsides of two of the terrible trio.

Two was enough, though. She would give Miss Granger over to Severus. His bones were decidedly younger than hers.

Down the corridor, Harry and Ron were making their way back to the tower, rubbing their bottoms as they went.

Harry was quiet, pensive, but Ron was grumbling to himself. Every now and then Harry could make out 'Sodding Rulers!' before returning to incoherent mumbling. _Yeah_, thought Harry, _sodding rulers! _


End file.
